


Our Hearts Speak Fluently

by yieldtolisten



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Arthur, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, merlin as a girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23609485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yieldtolisten/pseuds/yieldtolisten
Summary: What if, instead of Merlin working as Arthur's manservant, Merlynn served as the physician's assistant?A young girl named Merlynn comes to Camelot to stay with her Great Uncle Gaius to both try to find a purpose for her magic and to learn the healing arts.  But, when her world collides with Arthur's, could they eventually become something more?Just a story idea I had that would make sense for a canon era romance between these two lovely characters!
Relationships: Gaius & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 378





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin or any of the characters represented here** 
> 
> This is my first time posting a fic (bc now I have time because quarantine) so feel free to leave any constructive comments or suggestions. Song title is from a James TW song!
> 
> I plan for the first couple of chapters to look more similar to the show, but they will start to diverge more over time!

After days of traveling, all Merlynn wanted to do was to find the chambers in which her great uncle, Gaius, resided in. She was almost there too- she had finally made it to the city of Camelot, with its beautiful, yet formidable, pearl-white castle just a few paces away. That’s when she heard the sounds of someone in pain. Looking for the noise, she finally spotted what was happening: a group of men, possibly knights, training were making a poor man run around like a human target. Never one to shy away from situations where someone was being hurt, she quickly decided that her new bed would have to wait a few moments longer.

“That’s enough, my friend. You’ve had your fun.” Merlynn said to a man who seemed to be the leader, as he had been the one throwing the knives at the wooden target.

“Do I know you?” the blonde man questioned, walking towards Merlynn. 

“No, I’ve only just arrived. My name is-”

“Then let me be the first to tell you,” the man, who could not have been more than five years older than her, interrupted, “that girls like you should not speak out of turn.” 

Merlynn struggled to rein in her anger at the arrogant man standing in front of her. “Excuse me?” she finally sputtered out. 

“Ha boys, it looks like this peasant here has no idea who I am,” the man smirked. “Would someone like to inform her?” The men around him chuckled at the blonde’s comment while Merlynn’s eyes narrowed. 

“Who do you think you are? The king?”

“No, I’m his son- Arthur.” He paused as she processed his words, looking down into her clear blue eyes. Something in her face must have shown genuine surprise as his smirk widened and he winked at her. “I’ll let you off for your disrespect this time sweetheart, but you need to learn how to treat your betters - and quickly. Now walk away before I change my mind.” 

Not seeing any other peaceful way out of this, Merlynn stomped away, huffing out her breath as she did. ‘What an ass’ she thought to herself, silently cursing the man who just so happened to be the prince. At least she would not have to talk to his royal pratness, well, ever again. Someone with magic, like Merlynn, needed to stay as far away from the Pendragons as possible. She knew that it was dangerous to come into the heart of Camelot where the royal family resided, but her mother said that her great uncle Gaius was the best person to help her find the purpose for her gift. And, if he couldn’t do that, at least she could pursue one of her passions. As Merlynn could not use her gift of magic openly, she could at least train under the best physician in the five kingdoms. Just the thought of being able to gain the knowledge of how to (legally) help people took away some of her anger at the prince. 

Lost in thought, she did not realize she was about to head up a set of steps in the wide, open courtyard of the castle. She found a guard, asked for directions to Gaius’ chambers, and climbed the spiraling staircase until she finally reached the Court Physician’s doors: her new home.

When Merlynn entered her Great Uncle’s chambers for the first time, she certainly did not expect to see a vaguely familiar, but shirtless, man sitting in the middle of the room. He turned around, eyes widening and flickering with recognition when he saw her.

“Oh! Um, I’m sorry. I thought these were Gaius’ chambers!” The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly changed his mind. “I’ll just leave then,” she started to back up out of the room, before a voice halted her movements

“Now Bodwyn, use this salve twice a day on your shoulder and back until your muscles begin to feel less bruised,” instructed an older man with long robes as he hobbled towards his patient.

Dropping her pack unceremoniously on the ground, Merlynn ran over to the man.

“Uncle Gaius!” she squealed, wrapping her arms around her father’s uncle whom she hadn’t seen since she was a very young child.

Gaius returned the hug, equally excited to see his great niece. “Merlynn! You’re not meant to be here until Wednesday!” 

“It is Wednesday…”

“Ah! See, you’re already helping me! I’m just finishing up with this patient, but I’ll help you settle in in just a moment,” he stated, gesturing to the man in the process of putting his shirt over his bruised back. “Bodwyn over here had a rough day training with the knights, something you are sure to see for many days while training with me.” Merlynn beamed in excitement at the idea.

On his way out, Bodwyn nodded his head towards Merlynn, something like astonishment in his eyes. 

“Thank you for trying to help me earlier,” he said softly.

“Oh that was you! I’m sorry I could not do more, but I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time with Gaius’ help!” Bodwyn smiled, but didn’t say anything else before he left the room.

Gaius looked at her skeptically, with an eyebrow raised. “What did he mean by you helping him?”

Merlynn debated how to respond, but decided it was better to not lie to Gaius. “I saw that he was being bullied and I stepped in to say something to the men who were hurting him.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“And who exactly did you yell at?”

She felt her face go red. “It may or may not have been the prince,” she mumbled, looking down at the ground.

“What was that?” Gaius was not budging. If possible, she could have sworn his eyebrow went even higher up.

“Alright, I might have yelled at the prince for how he was treating another human. But he deserved it!” 

Gaius just sighed.

“Please, Merlynn, avoid yelling at any royals or nobles, or anyone in general for that matter. It’s the best way to keep you safe, especially given your talents. Your mother has trusted me to look after you and I can’t do that if you make Arthur, of all people, angry,” he firmly stated. “Now, let me show you to your room.”

After unpacking the few belongings that were in her pack, Merlynn took a minute to sit down on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she looked around to try to take everything in; from the smell of herbs and something distinctly Gaius to the amazing view of the city of Camelot out of her window, she was enjoying it all. She felt her magic tingle with happiness, something just felt right about being here.


	2. Deliveries, Gifts, and Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlynn takes on her first day in Camelot by immediately stepping into her role as Gaius's assistant. With an appearance from Gwen and Morgana!

Once she re-emerged from her room, Gaius immediately put her to work. He insisted that the first step to becoming a physician was to understand the patients (by delivering different medicine vials to many, many nobles), but Merlynn knew that this was more beneficial to her loving uncle than to her. However, she didn’t mind getting a chance to stroll around and become familiar with her new surroundings! In a few candle-marks time, and a lot of retracing of steps, she only had one vial left in her basket. This one intrigued her the most: it was Morgana’s. When Gaius had given this vial over to Merlynn, he divulged that the Lady Morgana had been having some restless nights and needed this to help her stay asleep.

As she approached the King’s ward’s chambers, she slowed her steps, straining to listen for any noise coming out of her room. Part of her hoped Morgana would be there, the other part wanted to avoid the situation altogether. Especially if she was anything like Arthur. She shuddered at the thought. 

She thought that she must be getting close when a girl who looked to be about Merlynn’s age rapidly approached her.

“Can I help you?” the curly-haired girl asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Um, er, yes please. I’m looking for the Lady Morgana’s chambers. I have a potion to deliver from Gaius,” Merlynn replied somewhat timidly, not sure if she could trust the other girl yet.

“Oh you must be Merlynn! Gaius was telling me that you would be arriving this week. I’m Guinevere, but you can call me Gwen,” the girl- Gwen- said, extending her hand. “I’m the Lady Morgana’s handmaid and was just about to head into her room if you would like to come with me.” 

“Thank you so much Gwen!” Merlynn smiled, quickly warming up to Gwen.

She followed Gwen down a long hallway, and then another, exchanging small pleasantries as they walked. By the time that they arrived at their destination, they had already become fast friends. 

“Morgana! I have Gaius’s great niece with me, the one who he mentioned a while ago. She has your sleep remedy.” Gwen ushered Merlynn forward towards Morgana, an ethereal looking woman with ebony hair similar to Merlynn’s own. Merlynn awkwardly jutted her hand out to hand the vial over. 

“Thank you for this, Gaius is a lifesaver,” said Morgana, smiling. “I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch your name.”

“Oh! I’m Merlynn! I just arrived here a few hours ago.” 

“Great to meet you! I’m glad Gaius has another hand to help him; I don’t know how the poor man keeps up with all of his demands. You’ll have to excuse me, I have to prepare for dinner tonight, but I would love to hear more about you at another time. Gwen, can you help me with these fastenings?” she declared, sounding rushed but not impatient.

“Of course milady! It was nice to meet you Merlynn!” Gwen grinned, waving as she walked over towards Morgana.

“You as well!” Merlynn replied. As she left the room, she decided two things: one, Gaius was right about her meeting patients; and two, Morgana was nothing at all like Arthur. She was actually well-mannered and treated those at lower stations with respect, unlike the pigheaded Prince she had encountered earlier. Glad to have made new friends, she all but skipped back to the physician’s chambers.

~~~~~~

Now sitting on her bed, she sighed in content. Merlynn stared out of her window at the moon high in the velvety night-sky and recounted her day. After coming back from delivering all of the medicine, she had found Gaius awaiting her with a freshly cooked meal. They caught up on everything that had happened in the years since they had last seen each other: how the rounds went, how Hunith (Merlynn’s mother) was doing, what Merlynn had done to keep herself busy in Ealdor. When the noises of the bustling castle had died down for the night, they even discussed more about her magic. Gaius was astounded at the raw abilities that Merlynn had when he discovered that she had never learned any spells. And when he gifted her a book on magic, she couldn’t stop her eyes from watering. 

Aside from her meeting with Prince Arthur, today was a perfect first day in Camelot. She drifted off with a smile on her face. 

‘Merrrrrrlynnnnn,’ a not-voice hissed. Merlynn jolted awake at the noise.

‘Merlynnnn,’ the hissing grew louder as Merlynn desperately tried to ignore it. She just wanted a decent night’s sleep and to not have to deal with whatever this was. Huffing her breath, she folded her pillow around her ears. Eventually, she fell into a fitful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short! I needed a way to add a backstory for Gwen and Merlynn's friendship because it's so pure!!   
> Next chapter: the plot thickens...


	3. It's destiny, my love!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlynn is incredulous when the dragon tells her of her destiny, but that won't stop it from happening.

Stupid dragons with their stupid destinies. She had tried her best to ignore the voice that plagued her sleep for days, but, on the fourth night, she could no longer take it. She had stumbled around the castle and finally located the voice- a _dragon_ of all things! But, seeing a dragon chained in a large cavern under the castle was not what had stunned Merlynn the most. Not even close. No, what had stunned her is that this dragon seemed to think that her magic, the magic she had been born with, was somehow tied to Arthur Pendragon. And, if that weren’t enough, the dragon seemed to think that their destinies were intertwined, calling the pair of them “two sides of the same coin.” Ha! As if Merlynn wanted anything to do with that spoiled prince.

She all but laughed in his face when he declared this, but the dragon just smirked in response with knowledge glittering in his eyes.

“None of us can choose our destinies, Merlynn, and none of us can escape it,” the dragon chuckled.

“No, no way. No.” Merlynn had shaken her head, denying the answer to the one question she’d been asking since she understood that she had magic. “There must be another Arthur because this one’s an idiot.” This could not be what her magic was meant for. If her magic was meant for one specific person, Arthur should be the lowest on that list. No way did he deserve her magic as his protector. No, what Arthur deserved was a right punch in the gut.

~~~~~~

Merlynn should have been more careful what she wished for. Aside from her initial encounter with the prince and her conversation- if one could call it that- with the dragon, she had been having a great first week in Camelot. When she wasn’t helping and training with Gaius, she would seek out Gwen and accompany her with her tasks and occasionally talk with Morgana. In the rare moments that she felt safe enough to, she would devour the contents of her spellbook in the privacy of her room.

It was one of these moments in which she heard a loud commotion coming from outside the hall. She hadn’t expected anyone to come nearby for hours still, as there was a very popular singer with a great reputation performing for the king tonight. Gaius had understood when she opted out of the event to take advantage of the quiet time.

Hearing the noises growing closer to the chambers, she quickly shut the treasonous book and hid it, then left her room to see who was approaching. The door slammed open as Gaius ran in with an entourage of knights flooding in behind. Between them, they carried in a man with blood pouring out of his shoulder from where a dagger was lodged.

“Merlynn! Fetch some bandages and my stitching materials, then get these knights out of here” Gaius commanded. Merlynn rushed to grab the supplies as quickly as she could, knowing that now was not the time for questions.

She ran over to Gaius and handed him the supplies and quickly turned around to clear the area. Feeling a tiny bit timid but emboldened by her rush of adrenaline, she managed to get all of the knights out of the room except for the two who stood by the door.

She then quickly made her way back over to Gaius to see what she could do when she finally saw who the bleeding man was. She gasped, faltering in place. For the man sprawled out on the physician’s cot with a dagger deep in his shoulder was none other than Prince Arthur.

“Merlynn! Stop gawking at the Prince and come over here and help me.” Gaius’s strong words broke Merlynn out of her shock.

Under his instructions, they worked to remove the dagger, clean the wound, and stitch it back in place as quickly as possible. They were doing everything they could to avoid amputating the heir’s left arm altogether. Arthur, for his part, was unconscious and moaning in pain throughout the entirety of the procedure. She couldn’t help but wish that she could do more to ease his pain, ass or not. Merlynn had no idea how much time had passed once Gaius had put the last stitch in place. Releasing Arthur’s arm from where she had been holding it in place, she rolled her shoulders when King Uther stormed in.

She quickly rose to give him a slight curtsy, but avoided eye contact. Luckily, it was Gaius that he was interested in. She worked on cleaning the remainder of the blood off of Arthur’s shoulder while Gaius informed the King of his son’s condition. Arthur remained unconscious.

“The dagger miraculously avoided any major arteries, but we’re not out of the danger zone yet. A fever is bound to set in soon.” she heard Gaius explain.

“Will he be able to use his arm again? When can he go back on the training fields?” Uther demanded. Merlynn silently chastised the king’s priorities; no wonder Arthur was so arrogant.

“If the fever passes without any additional complications, I believe he will make a full recovery,” Gaius began, “however, he will require at least a month of healing and conditioning before he can even begin to think about using his left arm normally.”

The frown lines on Uther’s face deepened. “What can you do to make him heal faster?”

“Nothing sire. This just requires time.” Gaius gestured toward Merlynn, bringing the King’s attention to her. “My assistant and I will devote all the time we can to ensure he makes a full recovery.” Merlynn tuned the conversation out as Gaius continued to discuss what the conditioning process would look like. She wanted to make sure that she didn’t hurt the Prince while removing the crimson blood stains covering his torso.

“You!” the King yelled, startling Merlynn and almost causing her to drop the rag she was using. “I am assigning you to be on hand at all times for Arthur. Your only focus will be to make sure his shoulder makes a full recovery as quickly as he can. If I find any indication that you are acting otherwise, you will be punished accordingly."

Without waiting for her response, he turned his attention away back to Gaius. "Gaius, report any changes to me immediately.” With that final demand, Uther strolled out of the room.

She froze.

Did she just hear the King correctly? She was supposed to devote all of her attention to that clotpole??

She turned towards her mentor and found a mirroring expression of confusion on his face.

Oh fuck.


	4. Wrong Foot Forward (Or is it wrong shoulder?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is not pleased to have Merlynn as his care-taker, and Merlynn is pushed past her point of tolerance.

At first, nothing much had changed in Merlynn’s life. After all, her charge was basically comatose and thus not unpleasant company.

Once King Uther had left, Gaius had had to talk her down from panicking, reassuring her that the King’s threat of punishment was merely to make sure that she did as she was told. She highly doubted that was true, and she knew Gaius knew that too, but she appreciated his comforting words in that moment.

Arthur had indeed gotten a fever that lasted for a couple of days after the initial injury. He was in and out of consciousness during this time, mumbling incoherent things where he lay on the cot. Gaius had feared moving him until the fever went down but the prince’s servant George had not taken this well. He was a serious man who apparently only cared about one thing: perfection. They compromised, as much as one can with Gaius, by allowing George to furnish the cot with various deep Camelot red pillows and blankets. Merlynn thought this ridiculous as the sickbed was purposefully minimal and the adornments got in her way. But George outright ignored her any time she argued her point to him.

Merlynn had taken her new role to heart and was constantly by Arthur’s side- much to her chagrin- to aid in lowering his fever. This mainly consisted of her changing his bandages, applying the salve, and keeping the rag on his forehead cool. She had been in the middle of pressing a cold rag on his cheeks when Arthur first regained consciousness.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Arthur asked out of nowhere, his voice strained. The sudden interruption caused Merylnn to gasp and falter on her stool.

“I demand to know what’s going on. Where is my father?” 

Merlynn, overcoming her shock, was quick to respond. “My lord, you were injured three days past at a banquet. Do you remember any of it?” 

Gaius had instructed her, no less than 10 times, that her first priority if the royal regained consciousness was to gauge if he had any damage to his mind. Unsurprisingly, Arthur didn’t care to answer her questions.

“Who are you?” he repeated. “Where is Gaius if I’m injured?”

“My lord, Gaius is out in the Lower Town helping with a delivery. The King has instructed me to your care until you are fully recovered from your shoulder injury- no, don’t touch it!” she chastised, swatting his hand away from where he was trying to feel his injury. “I won’t have you undoing all of my hard work.” 

She knew she could get in trouble for her actions, but hoped that he was too out of it to do anything about it. Arthur stared at her, realization dawning in his sky blue eyes. 

“Wait I remember you- you’re that girl from the other day. On the training grounds.” She nodded her head in affirmation.

“How did you come into my care then…” he tapered off, breathing slightly heavier, but staring at her inquisitively. 

“Merlynn.” 

“Merlynn? What a peculiar name. Anyways, how did you come into my care again?” he asked. His voice had become more strained with each word.

“There will be time for questions later, but you need to rest for now.” Merlynn said, gently caressing his head with the cool rag.

“I’m the prince… I give the orders,” he all but whispered, eyes growing glassier with each word. 

“Sure you do. Now rest Arthur,” she murmured as he drifted back into sleep.

They had had a very similar conversation again a few hours later, later that night, and then once again the next morning. This was the one that finally seemed to stick in Arthur’s mind. With his regained consciousness and loss of fever, they determined it was time to move the blonde back to his chambers.

That was when the real trouble began. 

Merlynn had followed George and Gaius, who were escorting Arthur through the corridors and keeping a close hand in case of a fall, with all of the essential vials and remedies in hand. Once he was sitting on his bed, Gaius left the room to attend to other matters while George went to fetch dinner. Merlynn remained. 

When Arthur had noticed the raven-haired woman’s presence, his face grew into a scowl.

“Why are you still here?” 

“The King has requested for me to be at your side until you are fully recovered from your injury,” she said, exasperated. 

“Well I’m recovered now, so you can leave,” he sneered, “and learn to address royals by their proper titles.” 

Merlynn clenched her fists. “You may have overcome your fever,  _ my lord _ , but you still have a long way of recovery left. You will need to-”

“And what would someone like you know about medicine? Don’t you have some needlework to attend to instead?” he snickered at her. She saw red.

“What exactly does that mean? Someone like me? Someone who has spent the past four DAYS attending to your every need while you just drooled all over yourself? Who do you think has kept your thirst quenched, kept you fed, kept you- kept you, well everything!! Who has cleaned your wound out, attended to your fever, and was constantly on watch for any sign that you were feeling worse?? That’s right: someone like  _ me _ . How embarrassing it must be for you to have been saved by a girl,” she rolled her eyes. “By the way, without knowledge of needlework you could have lost your entire arm. It might have been worth it too, if it saved me from having to deal with an  _ ass _ like you,  _ sire _ ,” she snapped, breathing heavily.

  
  


She stared at Arthur. He stared back, mouth hanging open in shock. Her eyes began to widen when she realized what she had done. She had just yelled at the Crown Prince in his own chambers. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. What had she done? She was dead for sure.

She was just about to spit out an apology when George came back in the room. Oblivious to the tension in the air, he began to set out Arthur’s dinner. Merlynn couldn’t move from where she stood.

“Merlynn,” Arthur began, with an indecipherable look on his face, “You're dismissed. Gaius will care for my wound tonight,” he barked out in a clipped tone. Merlynn ran out of the room.

Gaius attended to Arthur’s wounds that night and again the next morning. He was aware of what had happened and informed his niece that he had only overheard a hushed conversation between the King and his son earlier that day, not necessarily about her. Nonetheless, Merlynn felt her stomach drop and shoved her face into her pillow. She still hadn’t heard anything about how she would be punished for her outburst- she began to worry that she would be executed not for her magic, but for yelling at the wrong person. Sure, he had deserved it, but that wouldn’t stop her from being hanged for insulting his ego. 

She was still in this position when a knock came onto Gaius’s doors. Scrambling to leave her room, she saw one of the knights stroll in- Leon, she had met him briefly the other day and thought him kind. He made a direct line towards Merlynn and she knew that this would be it. Her life was officially over. She tried desperately to will her magic to make her disappear, but nothing happened. 

“The Prince requests your presence in his chambers,” Leon easily stated, as if he hadn’t just condemned Merlynn. She simply nodded and followed, looking only at her feet as they walked.

Leon knocked on Arthur’s door and ushered Merlynn in. Otherwise, she might not have found the courage to do so herself. 

“My lord, I have brought Merlynn to attend to your wounds.” 

“Thank you Leon, that is all.” 

Merlynn, now alone with Arthur, kept her gaze locked on her feet.

“Merlynn,” he said simply. When she didn’t make any movements, Arthur tried again. “Merlynn.”

“Merlynn, I expect you to look at me when I’m addressing you.” Her head snapped up. She searched his face desperately, looking for any indication as to where this would go, but he gave nothing away.

“I’ve had a discussion with my father,” he began. She pulled at a loose strand of hair that had fallen from her bun. “And he has maintained that you will remain in your role as my care-taker,” he scoffed, “until I have regained full function of my arm and shoulder. However, he might not have had this same opinion if I had told him about your  _ outburst _ yesterday.” 

She tried to process what he said, but it didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t told his father, the King, about what she had done? But why? Why would he help her when he could have gotten rid of her?

“Now, I don’t expect that to be a regular occurrence- nor should it occur again at all. But I admit, regardless of your naivety, you were brave. Now, get on with what you have to do so I can continue with my day.”

“Er, thank you, my lord.” She forgot to curtsey when she quickly ran to grab the necessary medical supplies. The corners of Arthur’s mouth turned up into a small grin which he quickly wiped off when she came over to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this got out of hand really quickly, but I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Whatever will happen next? ; )


	5. Morgana is a Force to Reckoned With

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana is Merlynn's secret savior and Arthur is (still) a prat.

She was on her way back to Gaius’s chambers when she heard a feminine voice call out her name from behind. She spun around, her blue dress twirling with her, and broke out into a smile: Gwen and Morgana were both walking towards her. 

“Merlynn, you simply must come with me and Gwen. We’re headed to the lower town to find a gift for Gwen’s father.” 

“That is, if you’re not busy at the moment,” Gwen was quick to add. Before Merlynn could respond, Morgana spoke up.

“Anyone she has to attend to can answer to me. Gaius adores me, Arthur is simply _terrified_ of me, and Uther hangs onto my every word,” she gloated.

Merlynn laughed and accompanied them through the castle. Merlynn was delighted to have a chance to talk more with her new friends; it was a breath of fresh air compared to all of the annoyance with the royal prat. She mainly listened as the Lady and her handmaiden chatted about secrets Merlynn should know and shared any information about the people they passed by, good or bad. Gwen explained the best stalls to get certain supplies from and which ones would scam her for her money. 

When they were about halfway through the market, Merlynn witnessed the other two share a knowing look between each other. It was then that she realized that Gwen had not yet made any indication of looking for a gift for her father. 

“So Merlynn,” Morgana began with a mischievous expression on her face, “I believe congratulations are in order! I heard that you have been assigned a new position since your arrival.” 

“Er yes, King Uther has assigned me to care for the Prince’s shoulder wound until he has made a complete recovery,” she responded, hesitantly. There was a pause as Gwen and Morgana seemed to have a silent conversation with each other. Gwen seemed to lose whatever battle that had been, and turned to Merlynn, defeated.

“It’s a shame you have to cater to the Prince though. He’s one of those rough, tough, save-the-world type of men,” Gwen forced out in a sort of rehearsed manner. Morgana’s eyes lit up. 

“That’s not the way I hear it. I went to Arthur’s chambers shortly after you left apparently, and he was pacing a storm in there-”

“He should have been lying down!” Merlynn couldn’t help but protest. How was she supposed to care for her charge if he didn’t have any sense about him! “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Morgana simply laughed. 

“So he was pacing around and grumbling about something. I finally snapped at him to sit down, which he did of course, and asked him what had happened to get him so worked up. The way he tells it, he was simply trying to rest in his room after being on a flatbed for so long when this girl-” Morgana peered knowingly at Merlynn- “came in and yelled at him over absolutely nothing. His actual words were something along the lines of ‘this girl had the audacity to yell at me and call me an ass- to my face!’” 

Merlynn sputtered indignantly, but Morgana continued. “I told him that he probably had deserved it; then I managed to get most of the real conversation out of him. He threatened to have you put in the cells for what he called your insubordination, but I wasn’t having any of that. I told him that if he were to punish you in any way, or tell his father, I would spill the location of his passageway that he uses to escape the castle when he’s overwhelmed,” she finished, smirking. 

Merlynn’s face was completely red by the time Morgana finished. She stuttered for a moment, at a loss for words. “Um, thank you. Thank you for doing that for me. Just a small question, and don’t get me wrong- I am very grateful for what you did, but why exactly did you do it?” 

“It’s about time someone other than me is able to put Arthur in his place,” Morgana grinned, then continued walking as if nothing had happened. 

A moment later, Gwen rushed to her side. “I’m sorry to have cornered you like that, but Morgana made me. But she is right you know, it might do Arthur some good to not walk over everyone else. He _is_ a bit of a bully,” she apologized in a hushed tone. 

“It’s really fine Gwen. I’m just glad I didn’t have to explain how thoroughly I had messed up.”

“No it was brave! I think Morgana is willing to die for you now,” Gwen chuckled. 

“That’s right! Now ladies, let’s go find a gift for Gwen’s father,” Morgana said, hooking her arms with both of them. 

~~~~~~

When she attended to Arthur later that day, things (the prince, mainly) were… odd, to say the least. He was at his desk, writing on a parchment. He barely spoke a word or even glanced in her direction while she came over with her supplies. Standing near his desk, to where she could definitely be seen, he ignored her and continued to write.

“Arthur,” she began, ignoring his pointed look at her improper use of titles, “can you just stop writing for a moment so I can change your bandages?”

“Well, if you were here when you were supposed to be I wouldn’t be writing right now,” he chided. 

She threw her hands up at him in exasperation. “I got here as early as I could! I have been helping Gaius most of the time I haven’t been here.” 

“Not my problem,” he stated, still not looking at her. Oh, now he was just asking for it.

“It actually _is_ your problem as it is your shoulder I’m meant to be healing. Unless you’d rather have a useless arm dangling by your side for the rest of your life then stop acting like a prat!” She was careful not to increase her volume as she chastised him. But really, how childish could he be?!

His head snapped up at that. “You can’t address me like that,” he scoffed.

“Oh sorry. Stop acting like a prat, _my lord_ ,” she sassed him, even adding a small curtsy.

He gaped at her. She stared back, daring him. Something in his resolve broke and he rolled his eyes.

“I can see why Morgana has taken to you so quickly. Do what you must… after I finish this report. And be on time tomorrow.”

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This was her life now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist adding one of the most iconic lines of this show. chapters from here will have much more canon-divergence!


	6. There may be something there that wasn't there before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlynn rambles and finds something that she and the prince both agree on. He promptly ruins it by being a prat.

It took two more weeks for Arthur’s wound to heal enough for the stitches to be removed. Merlynn’s time with the Prince during this time continued essentially in the same way as it had begun. The blonde was stubborn, the raven was strong-willed. Eventually, they had a routine down in which Merlynn would arrive (mostly on time, but hey, she’s a busy woman), Arthur would find some excuse to make her wait for him to stop what he was doing, and she would argue with him. Honestly, it’s like he _wanted_ her to bicker with him. But it wasn’t too bad when she could finally change his bandages and apply the salves, as he actually sat still and listened to her. She would chatter mindlessly about everything and nothing at the same time. Arthur would act bothered by her, fidgeting restlessly. 

It was during one of these rants when things began to shift between them.

“... and then George showed up and of course the conversation just died there. I mean, he might be the dullest man I’ve ever met. Actually- I wouldn’t even be surprised if you told me that he wasn’t a man at all. I sometimes think he only exists when he is doing something for you. When he has no tasks left for the moment he just- *poof*- disappears, then reappears when you need him again. Honestly, I don’t know how you stand him,” Merlynn rambled while making hand gestures. 

She hadn’t even noticed that Arthur had turned his full attention to her when she heard him bark out a deep, bellowing laugh. Her cerulean blue eyes turned to him incredulously. She removed her hands from where she was working in the salve, afraid that she would hurt him during his laughing fit. 

“You’ve finally found something that we agree on,” Arthur managed to get out breathlessly. He leaned in conspiratorially towards her and whispered: “I sometimes think that my father specifically picked him as a long-term punishment for all of my sneaking out.” 

Merlynn laughed in response. It was a small quiet laugh, but it doubled in strength and volume when the servant in question took that moment to knock on Arthur’s door. 

“Speak of the devil,” she burst out. By the time George came in, they were both doubled over laughing to the point where tears formed. For his part, the stiff man said nothing but stood in the corner, bewildered at what he just walked in on. 

After that day, their bickering had turned into a form of amicable bantering. Arthur remained stubborn, but somehow more giving with her requests. Merlynn remained just as strong-willed but was more light-hearted when yelling at him. 

Later, they were in Gaius’s chambers to have the stitches removed. The physician had felt that Merlynn needed more time to learn before performing this procedure and she had agreed. Instead, she sat at Arthur’s side to distract him from the pain with her mindless thoughts. When George- who thought it necessary to be present- fainted as the first part of the stitching had made its way out, Arthur and Merlynn made brief eye contact and burst out in howling laughter. Gaius was startled by the sudden change, eyebrow raised as he took in the sudden change he could see in his niece's relationship with the prince. He shook the shock off and joined in their laughter with a light chuckle of his own. Merlynn, who was walking over to check on the collapsed servant, smiled to herself thinking that perhaps Arthur wasn’t the worst person out there. 

~~~~~~

He was most definitely the worst, most arrogant, supercilious prat out there. She didn’t know how she ever thought otherwise. 

They were on the training grounds where Arthur was sparring with some of the other knights. That had been fine. Merlynn was there to make sure that the prince was not over-exercising his left arm; thus far, he had been careful to favor his right arm. She was beginning to enjoy the feeling of the sun beaming down overhead, stretching her legs out and smoothing her hands over her dress. This was when the trouble began. 

Two visiting nobles, one short and scruffy looking, the other a bit larger with a greasy smile missing a few teeth, sauntered up to the training field and asked to join in. Arthur complied with their request but continued to spar with Leon. After a moment, the two visiting nobles began to turn their attention to the (still recovering!) prince.

“My lord, surely you can spare a moment away from your own knights to spar with us,” the smaller man goaded.

“Yes, we have traveled so far and have only ‘eard tales of your sword-fighting,” the almost-toothless one added. Merlynn begged anyone listening for Arthur to not take the bait.

He took the bait.

“Very well. Name your weapon then.” 

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance. When they declared that they wanted to spar as if in a tournament, using both a sword and a shield, Merlynn groaned and stood up.

“Sire, I really must protest,” she shouted towards the prince. He looked in her direction but was already accepting the shield being thrust into his arms. She huffed out a breath and watched the sparring with more intensity. Leon, for his part, seemed to agree with her and looked on with concern laced into his expression. 

When it was just one-on-one with the shorter one, Arthur didn’t need to use his shield too often and Merlynn didn’t feel the need to press the issue further. But she could no longer sit silently by when the second noble joined in. They seemed to press him unnecessarily hard and Merlynn could see the signs of soreness taking over her charge.

“Prince Arthur, you should really stop now. Your arm needs more time to recover,” she insisted.

“I’m fine. I’ll stop when I’m ready,” the prince responded, regardless of the pinched look on his face. 

“Ha, I didn’t know that the prince ‘ere still had a nanny!” 

“Hell, I’ll take a nanny too if they’re as pretty as this one,” the nobles snickered with one another, sending leering looks in Merlynn’s direction. Leon shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable. Merlynn’s face turned red out of anger. Arthur just stared at the ground. 

“Merlynn, you’re dismissed,” Arthur decided, eyes peeled to the ground. Fed up, she stormed away from the grounds. She missed it when Leon and a few other knights joined the Prince in beating the men to the ground. She didn’t miss the bruises on the visiting nobles when they came for Gaius’s help later that day.

That night, she was quiet as she applied a salve to the now thin, angry red line marring Arthur’s shoulder. When she moved on to apply the ointment to the surrounding muscles, he winced in pain. She shot him an ‘I told you so’ look but said nothing about it.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Arthur commented. He missed hearing her chatter. When she didn’t respond, he pressed further. “Is it because of the men’s comments from earlier?”

She stopped what she was doing to cross her arms and stare at the idiot prince. “No, women get comments like that all the time. I’ve learned to ignore them. No, what I am bothered about is that you didn’t stop when you should have because you seem to think you know better than me when it comes to healing yourself!

He took a moment to consider her words. “Have any of my knights talked to you this way?”

“Of course that’s what you would take away from this!” Her hands shot into the air seemingly on their own accord.

“Merlynn,” his voice turned serious, “I want you to know that I will not tolerate that kind of language amongst my knights regarding any person. We have sworn to protect Camelot, not harass her people. I want you to come to me if you hear of anyone being treated this way.” 

Stunned at the sincerity in her voice, she nodded her head in agreement. “I will. But next time, listen to me when I say to stop training with that arm.” 

And if she added a slight charm to the medicine as a gesture of gratitude that night, well, he would never need to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cheesy chapter title, but I had this song stuck in my head while writing this chapter and it seemed to fit well.


	7. Of Bets and Blushing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is devastated when a tournament comes into town and he is banned from participating. Cue Merlynn (and Morgana) scheming to get him out of it.

Arthur was already on edge due to his limited training hours, but he was outright restless when it came time for Camelot’s tournament. It had been over a month since that fateful night with the dagger and he hadn’t been allowed to do much else aside from attending banquets, council meetings, or some light training with the knights. He looked out of the windows longingly as the participants began strolling into town. Merlynn took some pity on him, she knew he was desperate to prove himself for whatever barbaric reason, but King Uther had banned him from participating. She not-so secretly approved.

But, when she attended on the first day of the tournament, she couldn’t help but notice how dejected Arthur looked, his face resembling a puppy whose tail was accidentally stepped on. The next day was even worse. All of a sudden, she had an idea. She pulled Morgana aside later and told her her plan.

~~~~~~

Morgana strolled into court the next morning tugging a seemingly anxious Merlynn behind her. The lord's eyes all snapped to the King’s ward as she approached him and dropped into a curtsey, Merlynn following suit.

“Sire, I was wondering if I could have a moment to speak to you. Privately.”

“Of course. Council, you’re all dismissed.” There were some shuffling sounds as the advisors disgruntledly left the room. Gaius raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his niece and she gestured that she would explain later.

“What is it you need to speak with me about Morgana?”

“I couldn’t help but notice that Arthur seemed-,” she paused as if she hadn’t rehearsed this just minutes ago- “well, he seemed uncomfortable at the tournament yesterday.”

“Morgana, he cannot participate now no matter how much he wants to join.”

“Yes, I agree. But I couldn’t help noticing he seemed uncomfortable from his shoulder wound. He kept rolling it around when you weren’t looking.”

“I see.” Uther turned his attention towards Merlynn. “And you? I thought he was healing. Why should he be more bothered now?”

“Sire, Prince Arthur has been healing nicely over the last few weeks. However, sitting still for a long period of time, such as at the tournament, can cause the muscles to stiffen and become uncomfortable,” she stated somewhat nervously, mostly not lying. He nodded slightly.

“What can remedy this?”

“It is my recommendation that the Prince does not attend the tournament for longer than one round at a time, sire.” 

Uther seemed to ponder this information for a moment.

“Very well. Guards: inform Arthur that he is dismissed from his tournament obligations. You may go,” he dictated.

Morgana and Merlynn had to hold back their smiles as they left. Everything had gone perfectly to plan.

The duo walked to the prince’s chambers and waited until guards had left to enter his chambers. 

“Morgana. Merlynn,” Arthur turned a skeptical eye to them as they closed the door. “I just had the most peculiar conversation with the guards. Apparently, I’m relieved from all of my duties at the tournament because of my  _ shoulder _ . Why do I have a suspicion that you two are responsible?”

“Oh it was all Merlynn’s idea really,” she continued, ignoring Merlynn’s shout of protest, “I just helped her.”

“Is that so?” He turned to face his physician. 

Her face began to burn red. “You just looked so-well, so sad and I felt bad that you were being forced to watch something that you would want to enjoy yourself and I knew that, if the roles were reversed, and I was forced to step aside and watch while other people got to do what I loved then I would want a way out of it too. So, I found you a way out.”

There was an indecipherable look in his eyes for a moment, just a moment, before he responded. "It is my duty. I would have been fine to continue," he sighed.

"No, you wouldn't have! You've been moping about for weeks now," Morgana snapped. "You owe Merlynn a thank you for all that she has done to help you." He glared at Morgana.

"Thank you Merlynn," he said in a quiet voice. She nodded with a small smile.

The bells chose that moment to sound, signaling the start of the third day of the tournament. 

“I really must be off. Merlynn, try not to kill him while I'm gone. Arthur, find a way to thank her for all of her troubles,” Morgana commanded, slinking out of the room before Arthur could protest. Merlynn rolled her eyes and set to work on the prince’s shoulder.

“So, Merlynn, have you ever played chess before?”

~~~~~~

The next day, Merlynn came back to Arthur’s chambers after the fourth day of the tournament began. They had spent a couple of hours engrossed in chess the day before and Merlynn was ready to play again. She was sure she could find a way to beat him this time. When George came into the room later, Arthur invited her to dine with him. She accepted and George nearly fainted again at the impropriety of the situation. 

On the fifth day of the tourney, Merlynn was tired of losing to Arthur.

“I don’t see how this is fair. You grew up learning how to play this game and I’ve only just learned two days ago!”

“I didn’t realize you were such a sore loser  _ Mer _ lynn,” he taunted, accenting her name in a way that only he could. She rolled her eyes at him.

Arthur thought for a moment. “Let’s make a bet then. Teach me a game you grew up playing and, if I win, then I’m obviously superior at games. If you win, then we switch back to another game that I know.” 

“Deal,” Merlynn agreed after a moment of thought. He extended his arm towards hers. She accepted and shook it with just enough force to make him wince slightly. 

She was in the middle of explaining about a game called draughts, or checkers in other towns, when George walked in with enough food for two. He walked out, not even seeming fazed this time. 

The sixth, and final, day of the tournament is when they let the competition between the two really struck up. 

The day before, Arthur had won every game of chess and Merlynn every game of draughts. She was in his chambers long before the bells tolled that day, ready to reign victorious over the prat.

“I have a new proposition,” Merlynn began unprompted as she strolled into the room, whipping her ebony braid over her shoulder. 

“Which is?”

“We keep the same bet, but let’s add to it. Whoever wins the most games by the end of the night gets to request one favor from the other person, no questions asked.”

Arthur stroked his chin, pondering the question. “Let’s raise the stakes even more. We are both clearly excellent, you surprisingly so,-” he teased- “with the strategies needed for the games we know well. With a bet like that, let’s make it entirely on luck: only games of chance are allowed to count.”

“Deal,” she grinned. Arthur didn’t yet know that games of luck tended to tilt in Merlynn’s favor. Not that she ever cheated! She just used her entire skill-set; it was hardly her fault that it included magic. 

They began with a dice game they both knew, Arthur having been taught by the prison guards and Merlynn by her friend Will. She was cautious at first to make sure she wouldn’t win too much but she had to admit that Arthur was unusually lucky when it came to the game. They bantered back and forth as the game went but quickly grew somewhat bored with it. That was when they heard a knock at the door indicating that George was about to come in.

“Arthur. Arthur,” Merlynn whispered insistently, slightly giggling. “I bet I can make George blush before the night is over.”

Arthur raised his eyebrow. “Not if I can beat you to it.” 

When George entered the room, he had a platter with enough food for two. He set it down without a reaction, stiff as always, and asked if the prince required any additional services. Arthur shot a crooked smile in Merlynn’s direction and set to work.

“Bring up some wine, will you? Enough to last the night,” he requested with a straight face. To his disappointment, aside from looking slightly taken aback, George just nodded and left. 

“That’s all you’ve got?” she goaded. 

“It’s not like you tried anything!” 

“I haven’t had the chance to yet!”

When the servant re-entered the room, this time loaded down with wine, Merlynn was ready. He asked his classic line to see if Arthur had other requirements for the night, but Merlynn beat the prince to responding.

“Don’t worry George, I can take care of your  _ nightly _ responsibilities.” 

George froze. Arthur choked on his water.

“I- I. I hardly think that is appropriate.” George- the poor man- tried to reason.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before George. Enjoy the night off.” She struggled to keep a blank expression as both of the men’s faces turned red as a rose. George looked to his prince for affirmation, which Arthur belatedly gave to him. He looked absolutely defeated.

“I understand. I will see you in the morning, sire,” the servant responded hesitantly, slow to leave the room. 

As soon as he was gone, Merlynn burst out in laughter.

“Oh, his face!” 

“I honestly didn’t know you were capable of such an act, Merlynn. Well played,” Arthur congratulated. He didn’t know what to make of her insinuations, but he decided to think more on that later. He poured two glasses of wine and raised them in celebration of her victory.

Despite her brilliance, they still disagreed over who was currently winning. They continued to play more dice games and more games of luck after dinner. And more drinking.

Soon, they found themselves by the fire in Arthur’s chambers. Merlynn knew it was improper for her to be in his room this late at night, but she found it hard to care when her victory was on the line. At some point in the night the games shifted over to who could handle their wine better. Arthur was drooped over on his chair, trying desperately to not admit defeat. 

“There’s no shame in giving up Arthur,” Merlynn chuckled. 

“I dunno how you’re-" he hiccuped "-how you’re doing this  _ Merrrr _ lynn.” She honestly didn’t know how she was doing it either. All she thought with each drink was ‘please don’t make me drunk’ and felt her magic surge through her in response. 

“We can stop anytime.”

“Not until-" another hiccup broke his words- "not until I win,” he declared uncertainly.

“Gaius will be worried if I don’t return soon. We can determine who won when I come to treat you shoulder in the morning,”

Arthur nodded, trying not to look relieved at the plan.

“Good night, Prince Arthur,” she stood and couldn’t resist pushing the hair out of his eyes. After all, it was partially her fault that he was in this sad state right now.

~~~~~~

The next morning, Merlynn woke up feeling as chipper as ever. She strolled into the prince’s chambers and immediately noticed how dark it was. Where the curtains usually were wide open during the day, they were barely letting a sliver of light into the room now. She had to stifle a laugh when she finally spotted him. He looked terrible: he was slumped over at his desk, staring off at nothing in particular. 

“Merlynn, what the hell did you do to me? I’ve never felt this bad,” he grumbled at her.

“If it makes you feel better, I brought a remedy of Gaius’s that I thought would help.” 

He accepted it eagerly.

They didn’t talk much as Merlynn set about treating his shoulder. 

“So, Merlynn,” Arthur begrudgingly began, “a knight knows when to yield to his competitor. I don’t know how you managed, but, after last night, it is clear that you have won our bet.” 

She wasn’t sure how he was going to handle his defeat, but he had surprised her. She shot a beaming smile in his direction. “I’m glad to hear you admit it,  _ my lord _ ,” she jeered at him.

“So?” Arthur asked her expectantly.

“So what?”

“So what favor is it that you want to ask of me?” 

Oh! She had been too focused on winning and hadn’t even considered what she wanted to request yet. She settled for a simple “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” he released a deep sigh. “You went through all of that trouble to win and you don’t know?” 

“Mmm, no.”

“You’re a wonder, Merlynn,” he said perplexed. “When you know what favor it is that you want, just ask.” She thought about this for a moment but wasn’t satisfied.

“But how will you know it’s the favor and not just a request?” 

“I don’t know Merlynn, how about you use your words to tell me that it’s the favor I owe you?” 

“No, that’s not good enough. I need a specific word to use, one that even you wouldn’t miss,” she rambled. Arthur just shook his head. “Ah-ha! Dollop-head!”

“I’m sorry, what?” sputtered Arthur.

“Dollop-head! If I call you a dollop-head at the end of a request, then it is for the favor I’m owed,” she smiled, satisfied with her solution.

“Fine.” He was beginning to give up on what went on inside of her head. “What does that even mean? Define dollop-head.”

“In two words?”

“Yes.”

“Uhm, Prince Arthur,” she smirked. He gave up completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is slightly out-of-character! I'm still getting their voices down but I had fun with this one.   
> More updates to come soon. Stay safe loves!


	8. Favorable Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlynn tries to decide on what her favor should be and Arthur is done with everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in updating!! There's been a lot going on health-wise and school-wise but thank you all for your support! More updates to come soon!!

“Merlynn?”

“Yes?”

“Have you decided on what to call in your favor for yet?”

“Hmm, nope.”

It wasn’t for a lack of trying to decide, honestly.  She knew she wanted to call it in for something big, even if she felt tempted to use it to demand him to shut up when he was particularly bothersome . More than anything she wanted to ask for a repeal on the ban on magic, but she knew that wasn’t in his power. Not yet anyway. So, here she was, stuck on deciding what she wanted to ask for from a Prince. She supposed she could wait for him to become King, but that might be a long time yet. As it was, it had been a few weeks at this point and she still had no idea.

To be fair, a lot had happened over those few weeks: when she wasn’t learning medicine with Gaius or treating Arthur, she was fending off magical attacks  . The past two weeks alone she had to thwart an attempt to take Arthur’s soul and to help take down a griffin. Though, She had some help from a man named Lancelot with the latter. He had saved her from an attack by the griffin and she had resolved to call in her favor right then. But, he wouldn’t allow her to use her favor in turn for his dream to become a knight of Camelot.  She had tried other ways to help him bypass the First Rule of Camelot- that all knights must be of noble blood- but, in the end, Lancelot had to leave them behind  .  Gwen had been especially saddened by the honorable man’s departure, but Merlynn had a feeling that wouldn’t be the last time they’d see him.

Arthur had even voiced as much when she attended to him the night after Lancelot left.  The wound that had brought them together was almost healed, but Merlynn was beginning to realize that tending to the Prince’s health was a full-time occupation of its own  .  This time, she was treating him for damage sustained during his attempt to bring down the griffin (which would have been completely avoidable if magic was legal, she chastised  silently  ) .

Arthur grimaced as she rolled more ointment onto a particularly nasty looking bruise on his neck from where he had landed on a stone . It had turned a sickly shade of yellow in only a day, promising to stay painful for a long time yet.

Arthur sighed, deeply- but she couldn’t figure if it was from the pain of the injury or from exasperation at her indecisiveness . “Any idea on when you’re going to make your decision?”

“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there was a time limit to calling in my favor, my lord,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes, used to the improper use of his title at this point.

“I don’t like having unpaid debts. Even if it’s from something as trivial as a bet.”

She clucked her tongue at him while shaking her head. “Arthur, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to gamble if you weren’t prepared to lose?”

“I shouldn’t have lost! You cheated… somehow. I’ll find out your secret yet.” 

“I’m an open book.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. Now hurry up and decide so I can stop waiting for your decision.”

As more days passed, the golden-haired prince became more and more agitated with waiting . He had begun to shout random things that she could request if they happened to cross paths with each other.

"I can order diamonds for you, if that's what you want?"

"As if I'd be able to use them," she scoffed and continued on her way to the library.

“What about flowers? Name the type and amount.”

“Like I would ask for something I could get for myself.” 

“New dresses?”  Arthur asked as he happened across her delivering an ointment to Leon, whose eyebrows furrowed in confusion .

“Ha, you wish!”

And so it continued. By far the most notable time had been when Arthur cornered her on her way to meet with Morgana and Gwen.

“Your own chess set?”

“Now you’re talking! But no.”

Arthur’s face hardened in determination. “A thousand gold coins? A new medical bag? Unlimited access to the castle kitchens? Books from another kingdom? Your own dog? A steed?  Just  tell me what you want already,” he huffed out.

After his onslaught of questions, Merlynn couldn’t hold back her laughter at how ridiculous he looked .

“You  really  want to know what I want?”

“For the love of Camelot, yes.”

“I want…” she paused intentionally and leaned forward conspiratorially, having fun with her newfound power over the Prince. He leaned forward as she repeated herself.

“I want…”

“Yes?”

“I want… more time to decide on what favor to call in,” she smirked at him.  His face turned a brilliant crimson as he stormed off, muttering to himself about stupid physicians.

Morgana and Gwen had turned the corner at the same Arthur stomped away from her, leaving them to question what exactly Merlynn had done this time  . By the time she filled them in, they were laughing along with her.  They had been supplying similar ideas to her since the fateful bet, but nothing had caught Merlynn’s attention yet . She was having too much fun with torturing Arthur at this point.

~~~~~~

However  , when Merlynn’s mother Hunith came to Camelot sporting a horrible black eye, there was no question that it was time to call in her favor  .  It broke her heart to see her mother this battered looking; she knew she would go through any lengths to give her any  assistance  possible  .  She even wanted to ride to Ealdor that moment and blast every person who harmed her mother off of this Earth, but she knew her mother wouldn’t want that . No, she needed to find a way to help the people from her village to defend themselves. And she was in possession of favor by the person who could do exactly that.

Although she knew that Arthur was bound by his honor when she called in the favor, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat nervous  . After all, what were her and her mother’s lives compared to that of the Crown Prince? She walked into his chambers and tried to look much more confident than she felt. Yet, for  all of  his obliviousness when it came to her magic, he  instantly  knew something was wrong.

“Merlynn? What is it?” Arthur asked, now on high alert: he had never seen her look this distraught.

“It’s my mother.  My village- Ealdor- is being attacked by a man named Kanen,” she began in a watery voice,  barely  keeping tears from falling  .  “Cenred won’t do anything to help and the people of the village will lose everything, everything, because they can’t defend themselves .”

“What do you need?”

“I need your help.”

“Of course.”

Just hours later, Merlynn, her mother, Gwen, and Morgana saddled up for Ealdor.  She was more appreciative of her friends than she had ever been and stunned by their fearlessness in joining her in this battle  . Arthur had tried to get his father to send knights to help, but Uther- naturally- refused.  Merlynn understood he didn’t want to risk a war with Cenred, but it only added to her level of disgust towards the errant king . Instead, Arthur was set to ride out near sunset and meet them in the woods, feigning a hunting trip.

“I’m so glad to see you happy, Merlynn,” Hunith spoke in a soft voice as they settled into the campsite.  Sitting side by side, their relation was undeniable: they both had dark hair that settled into waves at the ends, the same soft dimples as they smiled, and the same compassionate hearts .

“Having you leave Ealdor was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but it was time. You’re meant for more than what our small village can offer. I’m glad you’ve found some peace in Camelot,” she hugged her daughter.

Merlynn had only left after Hunith convinced her that Gaius was the best, and  perhaps  only way, for her to become a physician  .  Secretly  , her mother also sent her to try to help guide Merlynn’s magic. Hunith knew that her daughter’s magic was a gift, but it was also a burden that needed a purpose.  It was surprising to them both that, amidst a kingdom where she could  be persecuted  for the way she was born, Merlynn had found a level of satisfaction and happiness .

When they arrived at the village the next day, the five of them came up with a plan on how to help the village.  Arthur, of course, would help train anyone willing to fight; Gwen, the daughter of a blacksmith, was to help fashion as many weapons as she could; Morgana was to help set up various traps around the village, as she had  been trained  as a royal on how to protect herself albeit in a different way than Arthur; finally, Merlynn and her mother prepared the cottage as a sickbay as best as they could.

It was  perhaps  the warmest reception Merlynn had had in Ealdor. Growing up both without a father and having to hide her magic, she had a very secluded childhood.  Will was the only person she would call a friend from her village and she took pride in introducing him to her new friends . 

~~~

After the fight for the village was over, something in her broke when she wasn’t able to heal her childhood best friend from his fatal injury  .  His blood still on her hands, the sound of his last heartbeat still ringing in her ears, she had to listen to Arthur condemn magic while her best friend’s body burned in front of them . She listened to him condemn her, even if he didn’t know that he was doing. She couldn't listen to it. Couldn’t handle another second of it. She ran. Ran towards the woods, to the stream that she and Will had grown up at. The stream that Will would never jump into again, never play games and laugh by again. Its soft babbling helped to calm her, even as tears rolled down her face. She didn’t know if the tears were more for Will or for Arthur hating everything that she was.

She wasn’t sure how long had passed before she heard soft footsteps approach.  Gwen sat down beside Merlynn and  just  held her as the tears continued to pour down her face, telling stories of her own childhood and her own sadness at not knowing where her own brother was  . Listening to Gwen’s soothing voice helped bring Merlynn out of her darkness, even if  just  a little bit. By the time Merlynn had calmed enough, dusk had fallen.

When they walked back into the village, Morgana was glaring daggers at Arthur and all but shoved him towards Merlynn . Gwen let go of her arm and left with Morgana while both she and Arthur looked anywhere but at each other.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Merlynn, I’m sorry.”

Her head snapped up at this, but waited for him to continue.

“You lost a close friend today, one who gave his life to save mine, and all I could do was criticize you for knowing of his magic,” he stated,  truly  remorseful  . “I am  truly  sorry for your loss.”

Merlynn didn’t know how to respond. She had been tempted to tell him of her magic earlier, but how could she now? She still wanted him to understand her but didn’t know how to make him see. He began to walk away, mistaking her silence for lack of forgiveness.

Merlynn found herself speaking up before she could think it through.

“You and I grew up  differently  , Arthur.” He turned around at her  softly  spoken words. “You’ve  been trained  on how to fight and kill, and taught that magic is and can _only_ _be_ evil. I’ve  been trained  on how to mend and heal, and I  was taught  that people can be both good and bad. I’ve learned that magic can  be used  _to help_ as much as it can  be used  to hurt,” she paused, gathering courage to continue. “What you saw today  was good magic. I only ask that you consider that the next time you think that it can only be dangerous.”

Arthur seemed at a loss for words as Merlynn walked away, trembling  slightly.

As they left Ealdor the next day, her mother whispered for her to be brave as she hugged her goodbye.  Arthur and Merlynn were both quiet as they began the journey back to Camelot, both too deep in contemplation  .  Gwen and Morgana shot looks at each other and finally managed to draw Merlynn into their conversation  .  Eventually, Arthur joined in to defend his honor as Morgana told  increasingly  unbelievable lies about him (“No, Morgana, I never stole paints from the market to add unicorns to my clothes!”)  .  Things were almost back to normal, but both Arthur and Merlynn knew that they had left a conversation unfinished that neither was eager to begin again.

When they arrived back at Camelot, Merlynn was unsure  as to  whether she should go back to Arthur’s chambers later that night as per their routine . She knew he had strained his shoulder while fighting but she didn’t know if he wanted to see her at the moment or not. Squaring up her shoulders, she decided to go anyways. At the worst, he could turn her away.

When she arrived, he was silent but motioned for her to come in. They were both left to their thoughts as she worked the tension out of his shoulder. The air was heavy between them with words unspoken, but neither seemed ready to break the silence.

“I never had a chance to thank you, Arthur,” Merlynn hesitated, but knew she needed to say this much. His attention was on her completely, eyes intense, but she didn’t waver.

“You saved everyone there from starvation and I’ll always be grateful for that. It was a lot to ask of you and, even though I called in the favor, you  truly  came through for my village. For me.”

“Of course. It was the least I could do and I know you would do the same for me."

She nodded and turned to leave before he stopped her.

"But you’re wrong.”

Her heart raced at hearing those words. All she could think was Arthur was going to attack magic again and she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She couldn’t hear a lecture about how wrong it was that she was alive. Not from Arthur. Not again.

“You’re wrong. It wasn’t a favor that I owed you. You never called me a, what was it again, a dollop-head?” He chuckled at the stunned look on her face. “Besides, it was what was right. I can’t call doing the right thing a favor. As much as I hate to say it, I still owe you from our bet.”

Merlynn couldn’t stop the smile from spreading onto her face, a range of emotions rushing through her at once. She  honestly  couldn’t think of a single thing to say, so she let her actions speak for her. His eyes widened as she leant down and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, Arthur.”

"And you, Merlynn. Now hurry up and decide on your favor so we can put this behind us, you sap."

"As you wish, prat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always hated how callous Arthur seemed in that episode so I wanted to fix it, but there will be much, much more canon divergence in the following chapters! I love hearing your suggestions if you have any! More updates soon.


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